GR PASSES FIREWORK ORDINANCE

| 7/1/12 11:11pm

GVL / Eric Coulter
Allendale Firefighters put out a grass fire in Hillcrest Apartments caused by the misuse of fireworks

One by one, lawmakers for counties across the state of Michigan are
looking for ways to curb public use of consumer fireworks, though newly legal in the state, are already causing problems for Michigan communities.

The Grand Rapids City Commission passed an ordinance, effective July 1, which limits the use of fireworks to the 10 national holidays and the days before and after each. Grand Rapids joined Wyoming and Hudsonville among other cities in passing an ordinance that makes the use of fireworks outside permitted dates illegal.

At Grand Valley State University, fireworks in off-campus apartment complexes have been sounding off since state lawmakers made the purchasing of consumer fireworks legal in January. Student use of fireworks has resulted from noise complaints to incidents like the small fire started in Hillcrest, an off-campus apartment complex near the Allendale Campus on 48th Street.

Jerry Alkema, Allendale township supervisor, said there aren’t any current ordinances that prohibit the use of fireworks in such apartment complexes since they are private property.